Garment-supporter.



No. 70,475, Patented Nov. 4, |902..

F. L. .BABNARD.

GARMENT SUPPORTER.

.'Agpxicaeion mea June 1s, 1902.

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT (DE-EIGE.

FRANK L. BARNARD, OF SAUGUS, MASSACHUSETTSIM GARNI ENT-,SU PPO RTER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 712,475, dated VNovember 4, 1902.

Application filed June 18, 1902. Serial No. 112,123. (No model.)

To LZZ whom, it' Tf1/Cty cor/wermp Be it known that I, FRANK L. BARNAED, a citizen of the United States, residing in Saugus, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Garment-Supporters, of which the followingdescriptiomin connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specificatiomlike letters on the drawings,representing like parts.

This invention relates to garment-supporters, and has for its object to provide a simple, inexpensive, and efficient device which can be used as a supporter for trousers and also for coats. For this piirpose l employ tWo longitudinally recessed or grooved shoes or end pieces, preferably of sheet metal, such as aluminium, and pivotally secure the said shoes or end pieces to the ends of a wire rod constituting a spring, by means of which the shoes or end pieces may be engaged With the trousers with more or less pressure, as desired. The shoes or end pieces are detachable from the ends of the connecting Wire rod to enable the said shoes or end pieces to be employed with other Wire rods of different length or with shoes of different length, and for this purpose the ends of the Wire rod are split or forked and turned outward to form the pivots for the shoes. The split or forked ends are capable of being brought together, so as to enable the shoes to be readily disengaged from the spring-Wire. The shoes are preferably made of pieces of sheet metal which are folded longitudinally, and the rounded edge may and preferably will be provided with corrugations, which are useful when the device is used as a supporter for trousers to increase the frictional engagement of-the shoes with the trousers. These and other features of this invention' will be pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

Figure lis an elevation, with parts broken away, of a combination garment-support embodying this invention; Fig. 2, a plan vieviT of the garment-supporter shown in Fig. l; Fig. 3,-a perspective View showing the supporter employed as a coatehangergeFig. 4, a like View showing the same as` employed as a trousers-hangenand Figs. 5 and (i modifications to be referred'to.

Referring to Figs. l and 2, a representstwo shoes or end pieces, which are pivotally counected with the opposite ends of a Wire rod b. The shoes or end pieces d are longitudinally grooved or recessed and are preferably made from sheet met-al, which is cut With curved sides, so that4 when folded longitudinally the folded portion is substantially straight,while the edges of the sides are curved, being thicker at their center and diminishing toward the opposite ends of theshoe, so that when the shoes are turned` into the position shown in Fig. 1 the device may be used as a coat-supporter wit-hout liability of the shoes forming a bulge in the shoulder portions of the coat.

The shoes are preferably made from substantially thin sheet-metal blanks, so that when shaped their sides possess more or less resiliency, which enables them to be pressed outward to perinitthem to be fitted over their pivots.

The Wire rod b is split or forked at its ends to form spring-arms c, which diverge and have their ends turned outward to form the pivots d for the shoes, Whichpivots are passed through suitable holes in the sides of the shoe.

The Wire rod b may and preferably will be iiattened at its ends before being split.

The spring-arms c permit the shoes to be readily disengaged from their pivots, thus enabling one pair of shoes to be employed Witha number of spring-rods, Which latter may be of diderent lengths to lit different styles or sizes of garments, especially trousers, or different sizes of shoes may be used with the same spring-rod. The spring-arms c, combined with the resilient sides of the shoes, permit the latter to be quickly and easily detached from the spring-rod b in a minimum time.

The folded edge of the shoe may and preferably will be provided with corrugations e, which Will increase the frictional ucontact of the shoe with the garment when theldevice is IOO such, for instance, as shown in Fig. 1, Wherein it is provided with a single bendf, or as shown in Fig. 5, wherein it is provided withv .a loop g, or as in Fig. 6, wherein it is shown Without any bends or loops.

When the device is used as a supporter for trousers, the shoes are turned into a position substantially at right angles to the position they occupy When the device is employed as a coat-supporter, as seen from an inspection of Figs. 4 and 3.

I claiml. In a garment-supporter of the class described, the combination with a Wire rod provided at its opposite ends with spring arms or forks having outwardly-turned portions forming pivots, of shoes tted upon said pivots to turn thereon, substantially as described.

2. In a garment-supporter of the class described, the combination with a Wire rod provided at its opposite ends with spring arms or forks having outwardly-turned portions forming pivots, of longitudinally recessed or grooved metal shoes having resilient sides provided with holes through which said pivots extend, substantially as described.

3. In a garment-supporter of the class described, the combinationwith a Wire rod provided with flattened ends split longitudinally to form spring-arms having outwardly-turned portions forming pivots, of folded sheet-metal shoes having holes in their sides through which said pivots are extended, substantially described.

4. In a garment-supporter of the class described, the combination with a Wire rod provided at its opposite ends With spring arms or forks, of shoes provided With sides between which said spring-arms extend, and means for pivotally connecting said shoes With said spring-arms, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

FRANK L. BARNARD.

Witnesses:

J As. H. CHURCHILL, J. MURPHY. 

